Read Book - Avatar Meher Baba Trust

Two: Aspects of the Path 61
tionable thoughts, for it means that he is at that time paying
homage, not to the Almighty, but to those very thoughts. For
instance, if a Muslim gets the thought of any man or woman,
while doing the Sijda, it amounts to having offered the Sijda to
that man or woman, and thus the Namaz turns into a farce.
This point was convincingly elucidated by the Muslim
saint, Sufi-Sarmast (who was averse to offering ritualistic prayers)
when King Aurangzeb once forced him to participate in the congregational
Namaz. The Saint joined the congregation against his
will, but he soon revolted against it by calling loudly to the Imam,
who at the particular moment of leading the prayers, was mentally
busy arranging the finances for the forthcoming marriage of
his daughter, that “the God of the Imam was beneath his feet.”
The Saint’s words were verified later when a treasure-trove was
actually found just beneath the spot where Sufi-Samrmast was
standing at the time of praying with the congregation.
To sum up, it is possible for everyone, belonging to any
creed and to any station in life, to practice Bhakti Yoga or the
true art of worship in its first stage. The act of worship should
spring from the heart. Let it be borne in mind that worship from
the heart presupposes great efforts. It cannot be evoked with a
mere wish. If one decides upon practicing true Bhakti, one has
to make heroic efforts in order to achieve fixity of mind, for contrary
thoughts are very likely to disturb one’s mind. It is because
the average person’s frame of mind is averse to remaining
unchanged for any considerable period of time, that the repeated
efforts to evoke deep devotion are essential; and in fact are the
turning point in such practices that distinguish the right sense of
religion from the shallow show of a mere routine.